Deconstruction - The Wombats

Tokyo Music Video - 

Synopsis -  

The music video for Tokyo is a narrative based video that follows the band members running away from their manager and going out clubbing and partying. The video is set in Tokyo, Japan.

Timeline -  

00:00 - 00:19 →  The band members are sat in a limousine and their manager is talking on the phone. There is no music at this point, only dialogue. The words 'JERRY KLEIN, Rock Manager' are shown at the bottom of the screen. When the manager says 'the boys' the names of the band members appear on the screen. 'MURPH, DAN & TORD, The Wombats'. At 00:12 the screen goes to black and the title of the song appears on the screen 'TOKYO (VAMPIRES & WOLVES)'. It then goes back to the inside of the limo and the manager finishes his phone call. He then begins to get out the car.

00:20 - 00:32 → The music starts straight away and the new setting is introduced. 'MIYAKE-JIMA HOTEL, East Tokyo'. The manager enters the hotel and is passed by two women. A tracking shot follows him up the stairs. He is on the phone again. When he reaches the top of the stairs he turns around and sees that band are missing. He runs back down the stairs and shouts at the camera man and sound man "Where the fuck are my boys?". He then exits through the door.

00:33 - 00:58 → The boys are in the club drinking and doing drugs with other people. At 00:39 the manager has arrived at the club and the setting is introduced. 'KAKOYOKU CLUB, Northwest Tokyo'. There is a Japanese man running karaoke. Lead singer Matthew Murphy (Murph) takes the microphone and Lip-Syncs to the words. The manager finds the boys in the club and tells them they have to leave.

00:59 - 01:11 → The band are in a new setting which is introduced by the text on screen. 'TOSHI'S SHABU CAFE, East Tokyo'. The boys, camera man and sound man are eating with chop sticks. The restaurant owner answers the phone, points to where the boys were sitting. The camera pans round to show that they have gone. The camera man and sound man pick up their equipment and leave. 

01:12 - 01:41 → The setting goes back to the club and the boys are partying, drinking and doing drugs. At 01:15 there is a brief shot of the boys walking down the street. It then goes back to the club. There are a few shots of Murph Lip-Syncing. At 01:35 there is a change of setting. The manager and sound man are sat in the back of a car. The manager points to something and the driver stops the car. They all get out of the car and run up the road. The manager is stood on a street corner with the camera man laid on the ground next to him. The location is show on the screen as 'ICHIGAYA SQUARE, Northwest Tokyo'.

01:42 - 01:53 → The pace of the music increases and the speed of the transitions increases. There are quick changing shots of the band members back in the club drinking and doing drugs. This times they are doing Nitrous Oxide (Nos). 

01:54 - 02:20 → The setting changes back to the hotel. 'MIYAKE - JIMA HOTEL, East Tokyo'. The manager is walking down the corridor with the camera man and sound man following. He turns to look into the room where the boys are staying. He then walks into the room followed by the sound and camera men. He walks around and looks at the devastation. There are two women in the bed with only their underwear on. There are quick shots of the state of the room including a smashed TV, loads of empty bottles, a dead fish, a gun and drugs on the tables shaped to spell the word 'SATAN'. The manager runs to the window and see's one of the boys stood at the side of the pool joking about diving in and a body floating in the pool. The manager runs out the door and there is a brief shot of the sound and camera men still in the room. 

02:21 - 03:53 → The setting goes back to the club. There is more Lip-Syncing from Murph. There is a shot of the three boys outside a Japanese restaurant. It then goes back to the club. The manager arrives at the club and starts taking the drugs off of the boys. At 02:48 there is a woman in a pink wig sat knitting. There are three men sat behind her dressed in traditional Japanese clothing. There is more Lip-Syncing from Murph. The transitions are slow to match the pace of the song. At 03:14 the pace of the song picks up and so the transitons between shots speed up. There are lots of shots of the band members drinking and partying. There are shot clips of the manager walking down the street on his phone. The manager arrives in the club and gets dragged into the crowd and he joins in with the partying. The shot cuts to black and the music begins to fade.

03:54 - 04:18 → The setting is back to the limo from the beginning. Two out of the three band members are already in the limo laid across the backseats. The manager is trying to get Murph into the limo and is grunting whilst doing so. The music has faded out by 04:02. The manager gets into the car and tries to close the door behind him but it doesn't close properly. He says "airport" and the limo begins to move. The manager then closes the door properly and the screen cuts to black. 

Mise-en-scene - 

There are lots of different settings used throughout the music video. The video was shot in L.A. but set in Tokyo. Each new setting is introduced with the name of the place appearing at the bottom of the screen. The first setting is inside a limousine. This suggests that the have a celebrity status as this is often how celebrities travel. This is reinforced by the fact that 'The Wombats' have a large fanbase in Japan and would be treated as celebrities. Another setting used is a club. This links to the lyrics 'let me go back to that bar in Tokyo'. There are outside settings which suggests the rough and ready persona associated with the indie genre.

Costume and Make-Up - 

The costume is mainly casual clothes which is a typical convention of the indie genre. Some of the extras in the club are wearing more party and going out wear to fit in with the stereotypes of that setting. The make up used is minimalistic but some make up would have been added to make the band members look tired and hungover. However, 

• Murph told Spinner UK about the song's music video. "We shot this video in L.A. over two days," he said. "It was shot in the Geisha House on Hollywood Blvd. After the first day of filming, we all went out and had a massive night out. Ironically, after first thinking that perhaps the concept of the video was a little inaccurate in its a depiction of a night out with the Wombats, they didn't need to use much makeup to make us look rough the following day..."

Key Shots, Camera Movements, Edits - 

Album Digipak - 

The front cover of the album digipak has the band name and logo at the very top. Underneath this is the album name. These are both written in white writing and so clearly stand out against the blue background making it easy for the consumer to read. The rest of the album is covered by a picture of people all hiding their faces. This could be a symbol for the fact that when online you can choose to be anonymous or be whoever you want. The picture looks as though it has been painted rather than created digitally which reinforces the fact that they are an indie band.

The back cover uses the same blue as the front cover. This helps when the album is on sale as the digipak can be recognised even from behind. The band name and album name are also on the back of the digipak which also helps with brand identity and the album being spotted on the shelf even if its been turned the wrong way round. There is a track list on the back cover to allow the consumer to easily navigate the CD and play their favourite tracks. There are two record label logos on the back. This is because 14th Floor Records is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Music. There is also the bands website details and the record labels website on the back incase the consumer want to find out more information about either or these. 

The CD colour is a complete contrast to the colour of the digipak. This helps it to stand out when the digipak is opened. The use of the grey for the robot also stands out against the yellow background making it easy to see and easily recognisable. The fact that the robot is hand drawn helps to signify the fact that the band is independent and may not have the budget to pay for animators to create an image. The band name and album name is also stated on the CD. This makes it easily recognisable even without the digipak, helping to maintain brand identity.

Magazine Advertisement - 

The magazine advertisement for the album release uses the same blue colour as the album for its border. This immediately makes a connection between the poster and the album cover that the audience can pick up on and remember when looking to purchase the album. The poster also uses the same image as the poster which creates a visual link and makes it easy for the audience to recognise the album in a shop once it has been released. The band name/ logo and album name are also featured at the top of the page. This helps people who may not of previously heard of the band and may influence them to listen to their music. At the bottom of the page is information about the release of the album. The date helps the already existing fan base to know when the music is due out and creates a sense of excitement and anticipation for the next album. It also features some included tracks which also helps to create excitement and anticipation within the fanbase. Lastly, the bands website and the record labels website are featured at the bottom of the page. This allows people to find out more information about either the band or the record label prior to purchasing the album.